I am so glad to be part of the Camp Boyfriend blog tour! I will share my review with you today and tell you more about Camp Kiss and Camp Boyfriend. And there is a giveaway!
Camp Boyfriend (Camp Boyfriend #1)
by JK Rock
Blurb from Goodreads: The summer of her dreams is about to get a reality check.
They said it couldn’t be done, but geeky sophomore Lauren Carlson transformed herself into a popular girl after moving to a new school halfway across the country. Amazing what losing her braces and going out for cheerleading will do. Only trouble is, the popular crowd is wearing on Lauren’s nerves and she can’t wait to return to summer camp where she’s valued for her brain instead of her handsprings. She misses her old friends and most of all, her long time camp-only boyfriend, Seth. This year she intends to upgrade their relationship to year-round status once she’s broken up with her new, jock boyfriend, Matt. He doesn’t even begin to know the real her, a girl fascinated by the night sky who dreams of discovering new planets and galaxies.
But Matt isn’t giving her up without a fight. As he makes his case to stay together, Lauren begins to realize his feelings run deeper than she ever would have guessed. What if the guy she thought she was meant to be with forever isn’t really The One? Returning to Camp Juniper Point was supposed to ground her uprooted life, but she’s more adrift than ever. Everything feels different and soon Lauren’s friends are turning on her and both guys question what she really wants. As summer tensions escalate, Lauren wonders if she’s changed more than she thought. Will her first big discovery be herself?
My Review:
When I first heard about Camp Boyfriend I doubted I wanted to read it. While it sounded good, the blurb also made it obvious there would be a love triangle and I don’t like love triangles in books. After reading Camp Kiss I changed my mind and I decided I had to read Camp Boyfriend. Since then I have been eagerly awaiting the release of Camp Boyfriend and when my paperback copy finally arrived I finished my current read and started reading Camp Boyfriend that same day, because I just had to read this book and I couldn’t wait!
I am so glad I picked up this book, I have to say I absolutely love the camp setting and I am so sad I never had the chance to go to camp, because it sounds like an awesome experience and I love being outside surrounded by nature. This book is full of emotions, it is fast paced, original and with a lot of teenage angst and drama. And I really enjoyed all of it. There is so much more to the story and characters than I thought at first. I was totally team Seth starting this book and couldn’t wait till they would get together again and I couldn’t understand why Lauren had Matt as a boyfriend, but then after reading a lot I actually started to doubt who was the best boy for Lauren. The ending does wrap it all up nicely and I kept quessing who Lauren would end up with and the authors kept me quessing till the last chapter.
The story sometimes has a bit too much drama and sometimes I just wanted everyone to be friends and wished they stopped making such a big deal out of it, but the again being a teenager really is like that. This book remembered me about my own teenage years and while I love reading about teenagers at the same time I am really glad I am not a teenager anymore. There is a lot of time that Lauren tries to figure out her feeling, but that also means there aren’t as many sweet romance scenes as I expected. Also some of her friend’s actions surprised, both in a good and a bad way, although I did like the way the book ended. This book is not only about romance, it is also about self discovery and friendship.
The characters are another things that really made this book. I really liked Lauren, she is a great character and while she had some big problems in this book and lost herself for a while, at the end I think she is excatly where she is supposed to be. I also liked all the side characters, I felt like they really came to live and each had their own personality. I really liked Emily and there is a great scene with her at the end, but also some of the other side character seriously surprised me. I really liked getting to know Lauren and her camp friends.
To conclude: I really enjoyed Camp Boyfriend, I finished it in a day, because I just couldn’t stop reading and wanted to know what would happen next. Sometimes there was a bit too much drama for my taste, but I really did enjoy the story. Also I liked the fact that it wasn’t only about romance, but also about self discovery and friendship. I wish I could go to camp and experience camp for myself, but as that isn’t possible I am really glad I got to experience camp through the awesome writing of JK Rock. I can’t wait to read the next books in this series!
You can add Camp Boyfriend to your to-read list on Goodreads
You can buy Camp Boyfriend here:
– Amazon US
– Amazon UK
– B&N
– Kobo
– The Bookdepository
And there is a free prequel to Camp Boyfriend, namely Camp Kiss!
Camp Kiss (Camp Boyfriend #0.5)
by J.K. Rock
Blurb from Goodreads: The Camp Kiss That Started It All…
Lauren Carlson, a fourteen-year-old expert on the cosmos, superheroes, and science fiction trivia has a crush on her longtime camp friend, Seth. Last summer she’d dreamed about upgrading their relationship to BF/GF status and this year she has a plan… if only her well-meaning cabin mates wouldn’t interfere before she’s ready. She hasn’t even adjusted to her new braces yet, let alone imagined kissing Seth with them. When a dare pushes her out of her comfort zone, will she and Seth rocket out of the friendzone at last? There’s only one way to find out….
My Review:
When I started this short story I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. This is such a cute and enjoyable story. And even though it isn’t a full lenght book, it isn’t rushed at all. I also loved the setting, I felt like I really was there at the camp and I actually feel a little bit sad we don’t have camps like that in the Netherlands.
The story is a bit predictable, but it is really enjoyable and I wanted to keep reading. The story is perfectly paced and while I thought it would be only a short introduction to the main story, it felt like the story really started here. The pace isn’t rushed and I really enjoyed the story.
Lauren is a nice character who loves stargazing and everything else about the stars and planets. I really liked her. Seth is really adorable and he and lauren are so cute together. This book realy made me remember my early teenage years when everything was about love and everything felt so awkward. The authors really managed to capture this feeling really well and bring the book alive with great characters. While we don’t get to know much about most other characters, there is enough to realize how good friends they are.
I really enjoyed the camp setting and the details and the activities they did. It felt really realistic and I think it’s a great setting for a book.
To conclude: a really enjoyable short story. I loved the setting and I felt like I was there at camp with all the characters. Lauren is a great main character. This is a really cute story and it describes the feeling of those akward teenage years and first love. I can’t wait to read the next book and see where the story goes.
You can add this book to your to-read list on Goodreads
You can download the e-book for free on the publishers website
About the authors:
J. K. Rock is the pseudonym for YA writing partners – and sisters-in-law – Joanne & Karen Rock. Although they started out sharing an annual shopping trip, they ended up discussing their favorite films and books, joining the same book club and talking about writing… a lot. Their debut novel, Camp Boyfriend, is the first in a three-book series that was plotted during family pool parties. Their creative partnership is unique in that they enjoy passing a book back and forth, each adding a chapter and fine-tuning the chapter before. Years of friendship has yielded a shared voice and vision for their work that makes writing a pleasure. To learn more about their writing as J.K. Rock, visit http://jkrock.net
You can find JK Rock here:
– Website
– Joanne’s Twitter
– Karen’s Twitter
– Facebook
And I mentioned a giveaway, right? Well here is what you can win:
Looks awesome, right? Well go enter the rafflecopter for a chance to win this!
I really want to read this one. Awesome reviews!!!
Michelle@Because reading is better than real life
Thanks Michelle! I hope you will read Camp Boyfriend, it’s an amazing book!
Thank you so much for hosting CAMP BOYFRIEND on Lola’s Reviews 🙂 I adore your blog and it’s such an honor to be here!! I’m thrilled that you loved the book and appreciate your five star review- Instead of TGIF, I’m saying, TGILola 😀
aww thanks so much for the compliment! I am so glad I could be part of this blog tour. And I can’t wait to read the rest of the Camp Boyfriend series!
I’m SUPER excited for this book! Great review!
Halee @ Confessions of a Book Addict
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!